The present invention relates to a suction chamber for removing fibres from a drum of a textile fiber opening or cleaning machine.
The fibers are normally fed to these machines by a transport band, and opened by at least one roller provided with spikes. Any cleaning of the fibers is done by means of a grid located underneath the roller. Thereafter, the fibers are removed by an air current brushing the circumference of the drum and sucked off by a suction funnel. In order to promote lifting of the fibers from the spikes, it is necesary to provide at the end of the suction chamber--seen in the circumferential direction--a limiting face and, better, in addition, a knife set closely on the spikes. After the suction chamber, the drum is covered by an air screen or a trough. This serves, should some fibers pass the suction zone, to convey the latter along with the drum and not to let them be flung unhindered into the machine. These limiting faces or knives are normally fastened to transverse arms. In order to arise the heavy drum up or to inspect the suction chamber, these transverse arms must be laboriously dismantled and later precisely reinstalled.
A cleaning machine is known in which the air screen, knife, suction chamber and suction funnel are rigidly connected and can be swiveled about a fulcrum on the suction side of the machines, in order to gain access to the drum. A disadvantage of this known machine is that it is necessary to disconnect the pipeline following the suction funnel in order to swivel the unit. For disconnecting the pipeline, it is necessary to support the pipeline separately.